The present invention relates generally to the field of inking or pen devices suitable for use with industrial chart recorders and more particularly is directed to an improved apparatus for mounting the pen to the writing arm of a chart recorder.
The use of various types of clips for removably securing a recorder pen to a chart recorder writing arm is well known and various types of clip constructions have been employed by prior workers in the art. For example, clips and pens of interlocking construction of various configurations are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,052,713, 4,186,405 and 4,129,876. Typically, the prior art designs have included an elongate clip which can be secured to the chart recorder writing arm in known, secure manner, for example by spot welding. The interconnection between the recording pen itself and the clip has been designed by prior workers in the art to permit easy and quick interconnection between the parts to facilitate ready replacement of the marker pen and cartridge after the ink reservoir had been exhausted. The prior art marker pen and clip designs and constructions were particularly configured to removably secure the marker pen within the holder clip in an acurately predetermined position in a manner to prevent movement of the pen relative to the clip in either an axial or a transverse direction. The interconnection between the pen cartridge and the clip had to be sufficiently secure to prevent disassociation of the parts under all conditions of use, even under condtions of vibration or other disturbance which may be caused by the particular use of the instrument to which the pen was attached.
The present invention relates to an improvement over the known prior art devices whereby the interconnecting construction features respectively of the pen ink cartridge and the marker clip are so designed as to frictionally engage and disengage in a foolproof manner to facilitate easy, accurate, and extremely simple pen and cartridge replacement.